News & Events

Due to the weather forecast for tomorrow we have decided to postpone the year 11 student progress evening on 1st March.

We will advise you of the new date once known.

The 9th Degree Theatre Company shared their first production in The Play Station Studio theatre at Tavistock College this week. Established by Year 12 students at the college the company sets out to ‘tell old tales to new folk’ and launched their company with their self-created piece ‘Mythfits’. The piece of musical theatre was entirely crafted by the students with each taking on performance roles as well as marketing, script writing, costume and stage management. Head of Creative Arts at the college, Eva Pearson said ‘Im so impressed by their creative work ethic, they have tirelessly improvised, scripted, choreographed, composed and created a hugely enjoyable, very funny community piece. I can’t wait to see what they go on to do after such a promising start!’. The company’s next venture will see them reworking so classic scripts in the Summer.

Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Workshop Summary- Cinderella – by Amber Turner Year 12

Members of Matthew Bourne’s prestigious New Adventures Dance Compnay have been working with students from year 8 – 13 from the Faculty of Creative Arts at Tavistock College. The recent workshop was based on the New Adventures’ production of Cinderella, which students then went to see at the Theatre Royal Plymouth.

After a fun energetic warm up, swing style, the interactive workshop taught students a piece of repertoire from the show based on an air raid. In true Matthew Bourne style which they were then able to combine this movement work with their acting skills to create a full scene. This was a dance routine that was highly enjoyable and fun to perform, yet rather challenging. The instructors taught the routine at a very fast pace – allowing students to ultimately gain an insight into how a professional dance company runs. In the question and answer session that took place after the workshop, students further learned that ability to pick up material quickly and sustain long rehearsals was essential as a New Adventures production typically is up and performing within 3 weeks.
Students said one of the most enjoyable moments in the workshop was when they all collectively recreated a scene from the show – based at the Cafe de Paris – which portrayed each character slowly coming back to life. The instructors explained that the motifs they created were inspired by the bombing of the Cafe de Paris in 1941, so students used this as a stimulus (in combination with our own creativity) to add their own take on the material, creating an altogether mesmerizing scene with a “slow motion” effect.
The highly practical and hands-on workshop was an thoroughly enjoyable experience for anyone with a passion for dance, regardless of their ability. The instructors were very informative, answering any and every one of our questions along the way. Overall, they gave a highly detailed and critical insight into both their own dance journeys and what life is like as part of a professional dance company. Students left ​the workshop feeling inspired and enlightened on what life as a professional dancer is really like.